Photo credit: TampaSpartans.com

With the University of Tampa Spartans on the road at Florida Tech, the UT Baseball Field was available for the Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout on Sunday, April 19.

Per TampaSpartans.com, “The UT Baseball Field has been the site of numerous NCAA Division II South Regionals and also serves as the host of the annual Tony Saladino Baseball Tournament for area high schools.” We are fortunate to visit this beautiful ballpark twice a year, usually in April and then again in November.

Three super-talented 2016 graduates posted impressive measurables in different categories — with three of the numbers coming in as good as we’ve seen all year.

2016 C Michael Amditis

2016 C Michael Amditis (Boca Raton HS – Boca Raton, FL – Univ. of Miami commit) notched pop times between 1.78 and 1.90, with numerous times recorded in the low 1.8’s.

The last time I compiled top pop times was November 19, 2014. As of then, the lowest pop time we’d seen from a 2016 graduate was a 1.84 turned in by Zach Frey of Bloomington, IL. Among 2015 graduates, we saw a 1.69 from Justin Wilson (Austin Peay commit) of Murfreesboro, TN and 1.75 from 2014 Under Armour All-American Wyatt Cross (Univ. of North Carolina commit) of Broomfield, CO.

Since then, we saw a 1.76 from 2016 C Jackson Greer (Central HS – Knoxville, TN) at the January 2015 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament. As it stands today, that is the only pop time among 2016 graduates ahead of the 1.78 turned in by Amditis.

Michael Amditis is a whole lot more than just a catch-and-throw guy however. He touched 90 mph at the raw velocity station, and during his defensive workout he showed standout ability to block balls in the dirt. He reached 90 mph again later in the workout, this time at the bat exit velocity station. His hands were quick to the zone, and he applied strength through contact for hard contact to all fields.

2016 SS/OF Nick Derr

2016 Nick Derr (IMG Academy – Lakewood Ranch, FL – Florida State Univ. commit) ran 6.44 in the 60 yard dash, reached 95 mph at the bat exit velocity station, and notched 92 mph raw velocity. He featured a loose right-handed stroke with quick hands to the zone and the ability to make consistent hard BP contact. He is kind of caught in between positions defensively, with enough athleticism for shortstop but without the ideal actions and fluidity for the position. He didn’t workout for us in the outfield, but he is likely a more attractive prospect there than he is in the infield.

First, let me give his run time some context. On November 17, 2014 I compiled the top 60 yard dashes recorded at our events. As of then, the single best time was a 6.21 — turned in by 2015 OF Satchel McElroy (Clear Creek HS – League City, TX – Univ. of Houston commit). Among 2016 graduates, OF Sammy Blair (Navasota HS – Navasota, TX) was the fastest with a time of 6.28. As it stands today, Nick Derr’s 6.44 is the second best we’ve seen from 2016 graduates.

I haven’t yet compiled bat exit velocities (we just started measuring that officially at our events in early 2015), but from memory I don’t think I’ve come across 95 mph just yet. I’ve seen 94 mph and several others in the low 90’s — look for a post upcoming in the near future with a current leaderboard for this, along with updated leaderboards on other measurables.

There were only two 2016 graduates better than Nick Derr’s 92 mph when I compiled top raw velocities on November 20, 2014. At 93 mph were 2016 OF Conner Capel (Seven Lakes HS – Katy, TX – Univ. of Texas commit) and 2016 OF/3B Cody Chapman (Miller County HS – Colquitt, GA).

2016 SS Colton Welker

2016 SS Colton Welker (Stoneman Douglas HS – Coral Springs, FL – Univ. of Miami commit) showed defensive ability on par with Michael Amditis’ catch & throw skills and Nick Derr’s speed. His actions were easy and fluid, and he showed the ability to finish a variety of plays with strong throws across the infield. Like Nick Derr, he touched 92 mph raw velocity — ranking him very near the top of all 2016 graduates we’ve seen in that category.

He came in just under seven seconds in the 60 yard dash at 6.99, and reached 88 mph bat exit velocity. His glove is easily ahead of his bat, he has rhythm to hit and makes a coordinated move through the zone — more than enough to merit a close follow to see how his bat develops.

2015 OF Jacob Silverstein

2015 OF Jacob Silverstein (Seminole HS – Seminole, FL – Bethune-Cookman Univ. commit) showed an impressive run-throw combination, along with an improved left-handed stroke.

We’ve seen him seven times since November 2012, and he’s never run worse than 6.88 — which he posted the very first time we saw him, as a rising sophomore. At that same event, he notched 84 mph raw velocity. Since then, his 60 yard dash has steadily improved all the way down to 6.69, while his raw velocity has steadily increased all the way up to 91 mph.

At the same time, the all important hit and field tools have been getting better. He showed promise early, and then it seemed like the bat and glove may have plateaued, until he most recently showed nearer to a legitimate center field type defender with a better than functional left-handed stroke. By functional I mean a stroke that will allow him to put his speed in play between the lines — and he’s better than that given some gap power.

Other top run times were turned in by 2016 OF Elijah Anderson (Spoto HS – Tampa, FL) at 6.70, and 2018 SS/RHP Ferrante Cowart (Blake HS – Tampa, FL) at 6.72. Each was more than just a runner. Anderson reached 86 mph raw velocity, while Cowart ran his fastball up to 84 mph with very good arm side life.

2017 SS/2B Zach West

2017 SS/2B Zach West (Dunnellon HS – Dunnellon, FL) ran nearly two tenths of a second better than we saw most recently. He posted 7.01 in the 60 yard dash, down from the 7.18 he ran at the 2015 Under Armour Pre-Season All-American Tournament in Mesa, Arizona. At that event, he showed a solid left-handed stroke along with a good glove in the middle infield. A few months later in Tampa, he showed rhythm to hit along with hand-eye coordination and the ability to make consistent contact. He reached 84 mph raw velocity, and showed good body control to make plays defensively.

The best fastball of the day came from 2017 RHP Khalil Almutasim (Freedom HS – Tampa, FL) at 86 mph. He stands a solid and strong 6-foot and 221 pounds, and reached 88 mph bat exit velocity — offering enough proof of raw power to give him some two-way potential, even though he didn’t workout defensively for us.

2016 OF/RHP Tanner Fults

2017 RHP McCabe Sargent (Land O’Lakes HS – Land O’Lakes, FL) touched 85 mph, while 6-foot-3 and 225 pound 2016 OF/RHP Tanner Fults (Home School – Lakewood Ranch, FL) touched 84 mph. Fults appears to have more value as a position player however. On the mound, he doesn’t have much in terms of secondary stuff, while as a position player he has a chance for raw power (88 mph bat exit velocity) and could fit a corner outfield profile.

Behind Nick Derr’s 95 mph bat exit velocity, the next best reading came from 2017 1B Ricky Nieves (Wharton HS – Tampa, FL) at 91 mph. At 88 mph bat exit velocity were 2016 3B Bradley Hession (Steinbrenner HS – Odessa, FL), and 2017 OF Seth Miller (Manatee HS – Bradenton, FL).

In terms of raw velocity, 2016 SS/OF Kyle Blakeney (J.W. Mitchell HS – Trinity, FL) and 2017 3B Jack Gallo (Eau Galle HS – Melbourne, FL) touched 88 mph. For Gallo, that marked a five mph jump from the 83 mph we saw most recently in July 2014. 2017 OF Josh Crouch (Sebring HS – Sebring, FL) touched 87 mph, adding to a respectable 7.11 60 yard dash and 85 mph bat exit velocity.

Other top pop times came from 2017 C Xavier Posada (Miami Lakes, FL) at 1.99, 2016 C Zachary Marshall (Clearwater HS – Clearwater, FL) at 2.00, and 2017 C/OF Nate Zuckerman (American Heritage School Delray – Boca Raton, FL) at 2.05.

The Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout Tour is rolling through all 50 states. Tryouts are held for players ages 12-14 and 14-18. Don’t miss your opportunity to Be Discovered.

Find an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout near you and register online or call (800) 641-4487.